raising is not after all that difficult as you had thought. With a clear conceptyou can receive support from business houses and local organizations. Hundreds of our volunteers also raised funds while joining tsunami reconstruction project in Sri Lanka .

Many organizations and private businesses are more than willing to donate money for a good cause - like constructing/renovating schools/orphanages for poor kids in developing countries. Although it may seem a daunting task at first, you may be surprised at how easily you can generate substantial funds to support your humanitarian trip. Mostly, the volunteers choose to cater to their local community by writing letters requesting for support, or even administering community events - like concerts, art shows, game programs such as bingo, and bake sales. Also, other fundraisers receive donations from private enterprises, local companies, and international organizations, because these companies believe in lending a helping hand to volunteers and their humanitarian programs.

Global Crossroad also supports in your fundraising efforts by sending supporting/recommendation letters to the organizations/people that you have enlisted for your approach. Every little help counts, and with fundraising, you can embark on this wonderful journey with a feeling of great satisfaction and every volunteer should consider the possibilities of fundraising.

An Introduction to Fundraising

1. Begin by listing people and organizations that you know and trust, because these people will be the first to help you achieve your goal. You should ask everyone you know (and even some you do not know) to contribute to your cause - you never know who will be willing to donate.
2. Write your goals, purpose of the project, and reasons for volunteering. When writing your fundraising letter, explain how their donation will make an impact by allowing you to join humanitarian trips that aim to construct/build schools and orphanages. Please remember to be as short, clear and precise as possible when writing your letters. Emphasize on the fact that it is not a volunteer vacation but a real humanitarian trip. This will help donors to understand the project and your motivation to collect aid from them for a good cause. We suggest you to download the information on humanitarian projects directly from our web.
3. You may find that asking for a specific amount of money is the most successful approach. Let them know the total amount that you are hoping to raise. You may even want to outline the specific cost, perhaps daily expenses of your program, etc. Please let donors know that the raised money will go directly to the project.
4. When approaching companies, express a sense of urgency. This limits their time to decide as to whether or not to donate - you will find this easier because you will get indication as to whether you should keep trying with other organizations or not.
5. Please acknowledge all contributors with a thank you letter, which recognizes and praises their contribution. You will want to be as polite and thankful as possible, so you may choose to write a thank you letter and include a printed list of your supporters' names. Some volunteers like to host a small open house before they leave on their expeditions to publicly recognize and thank their supporters.
6. Promise to reward your contributors with a follow-up presentation about what occurred during your volunteer work. Offering to give a presentation upon your return is a great way to secure funding from religious organizations, civic groups, alumni associations, educational institutions, and other contributing organizations. When you are away on your humanitarian journey, keep in touch with your donors by writing e-mails or reports from your field. Evidence, like pictures of the school/orphanage project that you worked with or the children that you taught, and your other humanitarian work abroad help people to better understand and see where their money has been used. Pictures of you working in your humanitarian project can be good reminders on how their money made a positive impact in one part of the world.
7. Always remember to stay in contact with your contributing organizations. Remind them and assure them of their importance to you - by telling them that you do need and appreciate their support.

Creative, Fun and Effective Fundraising Activities

Letter Writing
Through letter-writing campaigns, you can utilize one of the easiest and most direct fundraising methods available. Simply send letters to friends, family members, employers, co-workers, clubs, churches, and other organizations, like the United Way , that you feel would be interested in assisting you in your humanitarian volunteer endeavors. Also, Global Crossroad will assist you, as we will send official letters of acceptance from our organization to the companies that you wish to contact. In this letter, we will provide your prospective contributing organization with proof that you are registered with our program, which may better your chances for extra funding.

University Funds
If you are a student, one major source of funding is your own college or university. Many school clubs allocate a certain amount of funds for student activities. Please contact your university to find out more about this fundraising option. Also, many departments have discretionary funds for projects and programs. If your trip can be integrated into an academic or service-learning course, you may be able to obtain university funding to support your humanitarian trip to Asia .

Grants
A common way to raise money is through grant proposals. With a grant proposal, you can write to many international organizations, such as the Ford Foundation or Rockefeller Foundation requesting for further funding. However, sometimes grants are difficult to obtain. Also, grants are often time sensitive in the foundations have deadlines and funding cycles.

Local Businesses
Local businesses are very likely to make a contribution to your volunteer cause. You may want to approach the business with a letter first, enclosing all relevant materials and a pledge form. Then, follow up the proposal with a phone call or personal meeting. As a positive example of local businesses supporting international humanitarian projects, one volunteer's program was funded through a grocery store because the store was pleased just to have the publicity.

Events
When planning for an event, always make sure that the expected amount of income will surpass the amount of time and money put into the event. If you work hard at your event, you can raise the entire amount of money that you will need for your volunteering work.

Sales
A traditional way to raise money is through bake sales, arts and crafts sales, candy sales, garage sales, and just about any type of sale that interests you. If you know someone who is a baker, an artist, or a published writer, you can ask them if they would like to donate their creations, so that you may allot the sale towards your fundraising program.

Raffles
For raffles, groups can obtain donated items from local stores, companies, and restaurants. A fundraiser can use these items and raffle them off, usually at a larger event such as a dance party. If there are no large items to raffle off, sometimes groups buy their own items - like a television or a stereo. As long as the proceeds are higher than the purchase price, raffles are effective methods of fundraising.

Media
Perhaps one of the best ways to promote awareness and to raise funds for your upcoming humanitarian trip is through utilizing the local media. You can circulate the enclosed press announcement to publications with which you may be affiliated, such as your hometown newspaper, alumni magazines, church bulletins, or any organization bulletins. Having a short piece published is a wonderful start on your fundraising quest.

Hosting Dinner
Hosting a dinner for faculty, staff, students, and even alumni is also a good idea to raise money. If you are going to Peru , host a Peruvian dinner. Also consider inviting participants who recently returned from a trip to Peru . Request speakers to share their experiences and pictures with the audience.